Before
by auraspirit157
Summary: A series of one-shots dedicated to the times before the games events.
1. Sick as Dogs

**This will be a series of one-shots dedicated to the times before Aiden was a brooding asshole :)**

**In all seriousness, I have a lot of little ideas for Watch Dogs but don't want to make a million separate stories. So, my sister and I decided to make a series. As mentioned before, all of the one-shots within take place **_**before **_**the events of the game. I'll have a little summary in italics of each one before it begins. This one is simply a quote. Ready, Go.**

"_**Remember when you and mom were sick as dogs but Dad insisted his boy was going to have his birthday cake? That thing was an abomination- all burnt and lopsided. That was dad in a nutshell. He did a lot of ugly things but it was always about family." – Nicole Pearce **_

**Sick As Dogs**

Nicole Pearce didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned by her brother's condition.

Aiden lay curled up on the couch, wrapped within the confines of a bright orange blanket. He shakes from chill yet is in a contrasting sweat. His paleness is only rivaled by their mother's, who was in a similar condition in her bedroom. Nicole sits on the footstool beside him. Seeing her brother in such a weak state is simply uncanny.

The 12-year-old blonde watches him glare at the wall with intense, green eyes, "You look really mean when you're sick. What did the wall do to you?" she asks, prompting Aiden to shift his gaze to her, though it softens on impact.

His voice is willowy from sickness, but a gruffness is still present as he speaks, "I hate this."

"Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to do any chores." She crosses her arms, pouting, "I had to do all of yours."

She accomplishes her mental goal of making him smile, even if it's only slight. He sits up, despite his sister's look of discouragement to do so, "I _hope_ I wouldn't have had to anyway. It's my birthday. Like hell I'm going to clean."

Nicole giggles a little, then takes on her best commanding voice, "You should lay down. I mean, you're really sick."

"I'm fine Nicky, you shouldn't be around me anyway. You might get sick too."

"Oh come on Aiden! Let _me_ look out for _you _for once."

"You can improve your chances of that by not getting sick."

Nicole groans, "You make me crazy! You're just like dad!" she sighs, "Fine, I'll go. But only if you _promise_ to try and sleep for a little bit."

Aiden smiles a rather unbelievable smile, "I promise-"

"Nope!" the younger sister interrupts him, going to her knees and shuffling to his side, sticking out her pinky finger, "Pinky swear."

He frowns, hesitating, as if the pinky swear would seal his promise, enlisting death if he breaks it. Nicole smiles, knowing in her own head, that he _had_ to listen if he swore. She sticks out her lower lip upon his hesitation, making the biggest puppy dog eyes she can.

He glances up briefly, rolling his green eyes and groaning a horse groan, "Fine," he submits, sneezing as he wraps his own picky around hers, "I pinky swear."

Nicole jumps up as soon as he finishes, running out. She skids to a stop when she's out the door, running back, "I better hear snoring!" she calls before padding back down the hall.

"I don't snore!" Aiden calls through the door to the best of his ability.

The little sister goes to the kitchen, stopping in her tracks. The hall that lead to the front door was occupied by a large man. Nicole's face brightens in sudden, joyful realization as she runs and embraces her father.

It's barely a second before the man returns the hug, laughing quietly and lifting the girl off her feet, "How's my favorite daughter?"

"Where have you _been_ dad?" Nicole yells, half happy and half annoyed with her father, "It's been, like, forever-"

He shushes her, placing a finger over his lips. His hands were rough and scarred, as if he participated in many fights. His deep, green eyes were heavy with fatigue, his voice speaking softly with Irish origin, "I would never miss my son's birthday. Where's Aiden?"

"He's sick. He caught Mom's cold." the daughter answers with a lowered voice, then smiles, "But Aiden will be super excited to see you!"

But her father seemed transfixed on the previous statement, his brow furrowing, and "Sick? On his birthday?" he pauses, "No celebration at all?"

"No...I mean, I can't leave. Mom's been sick and Aiden..."

"Please! The boy at least needs a birthday cake!"

"Oh...uh...dad you're not going to make a cake, are you?"

"Why the hell not?" He stands, going to the kitchen, "it can't be that hard..."

"Dad, I've never seen you cook. Like...ever."

"Doesn't mean I can't. That little shit is getting a birthday cake whether he likes it or not." the father finalizes his opinion, pulling out random ingredients.

She observes as he bumbles, knowing that he had no idea what he was doing. Thinking about Aiden, she jogs back to the living room, glancing inside.

Her brother was again curled up on the couch, stuffed in the corner of the sofa. Soft breathes escape him, though he occasionally coughs between deep intakes. Only the top of his head, messy with brown hair, was visible beneath the orange blankets. The boy looked like a sleeping fox in its den. She smiles, glad that he actually took her seriously. Silently she slips through the room, snatching a cookbook from the shelf beyond and hurrying out.

When she returns to the kitchen, her father had already made a mess of it. Yet now, her mother stood watching him, a robe wrapped around her body. Her condition seemed improved, her blonde hair thrown in a messy bun and eyes more alert then before. Nicole hides behind the doorway, watching as she starts speaking.

"You've been gone for more than a week and you decide to come back _now_?" her mother says in her own Irish tongue, crossing her arms.

Her father turns to her, flour caked on his hands, "Look, I know, I didn't think it would take as long as it did. But I came back, and a day early too-"

"What were you doing?"

"What?"

"I said, what were you doing?"

The man takes on a dejected expression, hesitating to answer, and "I don't want you-"

"I'm already angry, Kane." her mother sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Please don't tell me it's about that call."

"...I told you I'd find out."

"God Kane! I told you not to go after them! Do you realize how stupid you can be?"

"You think I was going to let some bastard talk to you that way? I'm not going to let anyone threaten you or my family!"

"You're putting us in more danger by starting fights with these people! What if he was part of a gang? They'll come after you!"

"Oh trust me, love, he'll stay away."

There's a silence that follows, one that Nicole didn't dare interrupt. Despite not knowing what they were talking about, she's heard similar arguments between her parents. She shifts slightly, surprised when her father turns to the doorway at the slightest noise.

Kane looks at his daughter with a soft gaze, seeing the cookbook in her hands, "What do you got there?"

"Um...a cookbook. So you can make a cake instead of a mess" Nicole answers, trying to utilize a light tone but unable to keep her voice from shaking slightly.

She knew that her father was aware that she had heard the conversation. He looks at his wife, who gives him a disapproving look, "Let him rest Kane, he's sick."

"It's his _birthday,_ love, he should at least get a cake."

"I'll make him one when he's better, but that's not-" she looks a Nicole, sighing, "We're not done talking about this." she submits, leaving the room with a sneeze.

Kane looks back at his daughter, "Alright, how much did you hear?"

"Um…all of it. What call was she talking about?"

"You know, it doesn't matter now. You don't have to worry about it, love." he kneels down so he's eye level with her, "Mom doesn't realize what I'm trying to do. Just let me handle it."

A mischievous smile plays on the young girl's face, "If you're going to handle it the same way you make cake, I believe her."

"So that's how it is." he takes the book from her, messing up her hair, "I'll _prove_ it to you."

He turns away, busying himself with different ingredients. Nicole sits on a chair by the counter, watching him for a while as he curses his way through a recipe. By the time he finishes the batter and pours it into pans, the kitchen looks as though a tornado ran through it. He slides the pans in the oven, kicking it closed, "Beautiful."

Nicole scrunches her nose, "Dad, no offense, but-"

"But nothing! It'll be beautiful." Kane says triumphantly despite the mess, "For me, at least. Baking is fucking hard."

She giggles a little, interrupted by shuffling feet and a sickly voice, "Holy shit, what happened in here?"

Kane and Nicole look up, the doorway to the hall occupied by Aiden. He stood in his sweatpants and old tee-shirt, the blanket he was sleeping with wrapped around his shoulders. He looks at his father, eyes widening a little, "Dad?" he pauses, then smirks, "Well, that explains a lot."

The father smiles at the sight of his son, then raises an eyebrow at his tone, "Oh, shut it kid. I was baking."

Aiden takes on a similar expression to Kane's, "Baking what? Bombs?"

"A cake, smartass. And you better eat it when it's done." He looks at him, then punches his shoulder, "Happy Birthday, by the way."

Her brother rubs his shoulder, though doesn't give much else in terms of a reaction. He looks back at his father, "Thanks but…you've been gone a while."

"Oh, were you worried about me?" Kane frowns a bit, rubbing the back of his neck, "I was taking care of something-"

"Dad, its fine. You don't have to explain it. I know it's about that phone call mom got a few weeks ago." Aiden interrupts him, then glances at Nicole. He lowers his voice, too quiet for her to hear. Their father nods, grinning a bit, as if impressed by something, then laughs heartily. He wraps an arm around his son's shoulders, walking and speaking to him about something the younger sibling didn't understand.

It was then that she realized that they had drifted off into their own world. It amazed her sometimes how alike Aiden and her father really were. They both were secretive men, with hairpin triggers for anger and fierce protectiveness. But the things Nicole saw couldn't be articulated by her well, only thought about.

She felt a strong need to eavesdrop, to follow and attempt to understand. Yet, she knew it wasn't her place. She thinks about going to her mother, too. Asking her about what happened may distract her. But that didn't seem like something to harp on. Ultimately, she keeps to herself, wandering to her room and back, occasionally spying on her father and brother, who were immersed in some animated conversation. Her father's rapid gesticulation tells her whatever story he's telling is one that probably involved a fight. Aiden watches and listens, sometimes smiling and sometimes asking a question she couldn't hear. Whatever his expression, he was clearly paying close attention, like he was learning something important.

Nicole leans away from the small crack in the door, sighing a bit. It seemed she should be able to join them, but they might have well have been on another planet. Speaking an alien language.

A burning smell drifts into her thoughts, then her consciousness. She stands straight, following the smell to the kitchen. The oven beeped loudly right when she stepped inside, the source of the scent coming from its threshold.

Behind her, Kane enters, taking what was supposed to be a cake out of the oven. He mutters to himself, his rambles somewhere between amused pity and angry disappointment as her practically wrestles the things out of their pans and stacks them on top of one another. Aiden comes up beside Nicole as she moves to the counter. The three looked down at the creation like it was some undiscovered alien creature.

Nicole blinks, then looks at her father, "Dad," she says, pointing at it, "that looks like shit."

Aiden breaks into a grin before nearly falling over in laughter. Her father doesn't react, keeping a straight face as he continues to stare at the burnt, lopsided abomination he created. He abruptly drops his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I know, love." He says, looking at Aiden, "You're still going to eat it though. I worked hard on it."

Her brother slows his laughter, "Are you kidding? You want me to die on my birthday too?"

"It just needs some love. You know, frosting and shit." He looks down at Nicole, seeming to be mentally deciding whether to ask her a question."

The daughter rolls her eyes in an exaggerated way, going to the fridge and taking out a small pint of frosting, "I'll help you, dad."

She jumps on the flour-covered counter, taking the liberty to begin frosting the poor concoction. Kane soon joins her, her brother leans forward and watching them. By the time they're through, the cake looks slightly less atrocious, two containers worth of sprinkles thrown on top to cover and outstanding burnt parts.

Another silence follows as they reexamine the cake. Aiden shrugs, picking up a fork and sticking it right in, daring to taste whatever was there.

Kane glances up at him, trying not to seem eager for his opinion, "Well?"

Her brother swallows with a resounding expression of meek indifference, "It's pretty bad…but it's not disgusting."

Their father breaks out into a grin, "Yes! Victory!" he throws his hands in the air, smacking a mixing bowl off the counter in the process. He pulls Nicole close buy the shoulders, looking down at her, "See? I didn't kill him. That is a win for me."

She laughs, wiggling out of his grasp and giving him a hug around the waist, "Good job Dad."

His grin lowers into a sincere smile, petting back her hair and speaking more softly, "Thanks love, that means a lot to an old fighter like me."

She pulls away, looking up at her father. She might never understand how his brain worked. He did a lot of ugly things, a lot of near terrible things.

But it was always about family.


	2. Stormbound Lullaby

_**Staying – Koda**_

**Stormbound Lullaby **

The storm his around midnight. Thunder rolled like an avalanche in the distance and rain struck the ground like bullets. Lightning occasionally illuminated the room with its millisecond glow. Aiden's eyes dart to the window upon every flash, unable to keep his attention from being captured.

It was times like these when the man seemed the most awake. Perhaps it was the raging weather. Yet, he could never sleep well in even the most peaceful of settings. Some unbridled restlessness seized his senses upon nightfall. _You can't sleep _it would say _there could be danger. _

There wasn't any danger though. Even if there was, he was a light sleeper, if one at all. Now he occupied his mind with the apps on his smartphone, half dozing and half attentive from what he sees.

He was at around level 98 of some mindless candy crushing fame when he heard small, pattering footsteps. They didn't beat as fast as the rain, but instead took small, cautious movements toward him. The man made those assumptions before he directed his attention to the owner.

Lena's approach is halted as soon as she locked eyes with him. She hugged a small lamb doll, blonde hair sticking out in places. Her eyes shot to the ground, lip quivering, wanting to speak but too embarrassed to do so.

Aiden attempted to keep his voice down in the silent house, "Hey, what are you doing up? It's pretty late."

"I…" She began, hugging her toy tighter before continuing, "I'm scared. The storm woke me up."

"There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just rain, it won't hurt you." He replies quietly, bluntly. He wasn't the best at comforting a frightened heart.

She was about to respond when thunder crashed from the heavens. A small squeak escaped as she closes the distance between them and jumped on the couch, giving next to no regard for the little space not occupied by the man.

He grunted at the girl's impact, dropping his phone. Lena settled into a ball beside him, eyes trained at the window. Aiden's waited to recollect himself before shifting gently. He sat up, pulling his niece close, "It's alright. It's just thunder."

"But…but its scary…" the small girl whispered, pulling the blanket he had been using close to her face, "Is…is it mad?"

"Is what mad?"

"The sky! Is the sky mad at us?"

"The sky can't _get _mad—"

"Yes it can!"

"I don't think it can."

"That's not what Marcus said!"

"Who?"

The girl wiggled so she was looking at him now, green eyes completely serious, "This boy from the middle school! He said that when the sky gets mad, it makes it storm! He said I made it mad so it was going to storm and it did!"

"Oh yeah?" Aiden wondered what kid would lie like that, "Are you going to believe him or me when I say that the sky isn't mad at you?"

She looked at him for a moment, her face brightening instantly when she smiles, "I believe you!"

"Good. Because I'm always right." Aiden responded with a bit of a smirk.

"Lena giggled as he reached down, picking up his phone from the floor. She looked at the LED screen with a curious gaze, tapping it experimentally, "Whatcha going uncle Aiden?"

"Eh, just playing a game." He didn't want to tell her he had been playing the god-forsaken thing for two hours. It wasn't as much that it was fun as it was that he wanted to beat Damien's score. Either his mentor had too much time on his hands or he was really good. One or the other, it was frustratingly difficult to defeat him.

Lena watched him play for several minutes, quiet. Thunder rumbled and she jumped, a small cry escaping her. Aiden glanced down at her, "You're still afraid."

"Y-yeah…" Her voice shook from freight and fatigue.

"Just…close your eyes," He said, "You'll be alright."

She did as she was told, closing her eyes and snuggling up against him. He wrapped an arm around her, feeling her little heart beat fast against him. He looked out at the rain, rivulets streaming down the windowpanes.

"Mom sings to me when I'm scared." Lena's voice was tired as she spoke, "Can you sing?"

Aiden knew he could, but didn't like doing it. Nicole was far more interested in that type of thing. However, he felt the girl shake in his arm. She was afraid; she needed comfort.

With a sigh, he pulled her close, singing softly the only song he knew, _"As winter takes me now, of cold and clammy skin, a barren empty womb, as I am born again."_

She visually relaxed, pulling the blanket close.

"_It's pulling at my hair, crawling all within," _He continued,_ "A gentle, beating heart washed away by sin."_

When he paused, he heard and felt a gentle, beating heart. Lena slept calmly in his arms, even when a crack of thunder sounded.

He moved slowly, picking her up carefully. Despite not knowing if she could hear him, he continued, _"The monster in your head, won't surface again. Be still, my child, wash away the sin." _

He carried Lena to get room, returning her to her bed. He pulled the covers over her as he finished, _"And I, as future kings, walk off the edge. Hold me by my name, hold me till the end."_

There was a silence other than the pattering rain. The man steps away quietly, nearly out the door before a small voice breaks the monotony of the rain, "Uncle Aiden?"

Aiden turned to her halfway, "Yes?"

She paused before speaking again, "I'm not afraid anymore."

He smiles a little, "You're very brave."

"I want to be like you."

Something hurt Aiden inside, but he couldn't place the feeling. He bit his lip, skipping a response to her comment, "Goodnight, Lena."

"Night…"

The uncle closed his niece's door softly as he left. Paranoia crawled within him, but he pushed it away. It was that fire again, that need to protect. Calmly, he returns to the couch, thunder rolling as he attempted to relax his restless soul.

**I usually hate song-fictions. It's pretty lazy to simply portray a character's complex thoughts feelings through a song that happens to match it. For this I'll make an exception, though. Portray the song with Aiden as you will, I have my over-complicated interpretation. Hope you enjoyed it, there is more to come. **


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